Cue-rack and the like.



F. C. HOBBS.

CUE RACK AND THE LIKE- 4 APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1914.

L1L6 Patented May 25, 1915.

H I m 5 1 ,B M Jam/m a 15275" n w/C wf/w/ 7Q QJQM ED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

FRANK C. HOBBS, OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR 'IO BRUNSWICK-BALKE- GOLLENDER 60., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

CUE-RACK AND THE LIKE.

Application filed. May 18, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK C. Hones, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Muskegon, in the county of Muskegon and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvement in Cue-Racks and the like; and I do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, taken in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates generally to improvements in cue racks and the like, and it consists, essentially, in the novel and peculiar combination of parts and details of construction, as hereinafter first fully set forth and described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings already referred to, which serve to illustrate my said invention more fully, Figure 1 is a. front elevation of a fragment of the upper rail; Fig. 2 is a section of a modification of a. detail of construction. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section in line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a vertical section in line H of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the cue retaining devices employed in connection with my invention.

Like parts are designated by corresponding symbols or characters of reference in all the figures of the drawings.

The aim of my invention is the provision of simple and efficient cue actuated retaining devices located in the upper rail of a cue rack, whereby, as the billiard cue is placed in the rack, the same is automatically there retained against displacement until, by a slight pull, the cue is withdrawn therefrom.

To better understand my invention, attention is now directed to the drawings in which this cue-retaining device is shown in the preferred embodiment of my invention, as applied to the upper rail of a cue-rack.

The upper rail B is provided with a plurality of equally spaced U-shaped notches 1 in its front face 1*, and, in its rear edge 2 are formed a like number of rectangular mortises 2. The major portion of the width of these mortises terminate in the bottom of said notches, and the remaining portion thereof form shallow grooves 3 in one of the sides of the notches 1, all as clearly indicated Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 19-15.

Serial No. 839,358.

in Figs. 1 and 3. Into the grooves 3 are adapted to be lodged cue retaining devices M shown in perspective in Fig. 5. Since these devices are true duplicates a description of one will suflice to wit: The same is produced from a flat blank of spring brass or other springy sheet metallic material and in its formed up shape comprises a base 10 of a length equaling the full depth of the mortise s 3. At one end of said base is a pro ecting prong 11 which is forced into back board E, while the opposite end squarely abuts the bottom of groove 3. Said base is of a width to neatly fit the said groove and has parallel side walls 12 and 12 vv ithin these side walls there is pivoted a bell-cranked member 1A, so arranged that one or the other of the arms 15 and 15 thereof is constantly projecting into said notch 1 as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The base 10 has at the end opposite prong 11 upwardly projecting lips 16 and 16 the upper ends of which are flared outwardly so as to bite, as it were, into the sides of groove 3 to prevent withdrawal of the device M from said groove. Also located between side walls 12 and 12 is a spring 17 embracing a pin 18 and having a free eX- tension 18. At the lowest point of bell crank 14L there is located a pin 19 adapted to engage a hump 20 in the lower end of said spring 18.

It will now be observed that when a billiard one is not lodged in notch 1, the arm 15 projects into said notch with the pin 19 behind the hump 20 of the member 18 as illustrated in Fig. 2. When a one is pushed into the notch 1, however, the arm 15 is forced backwardly until the pin 19, acted upon by the hump 20, snaps the arm 15 out of the way between the side walls 12 and 12 and swings the arm 15 outwardly into the notch in front of the cue, as seen in Fig. 3, thereby retaining said cue within said notch.

Removing the cue is accomplished by simply pulling the same, in which instance the arm 15 is drawn forwardly into the groove 3 and the arm 15 again caused to project into notch 1 in a manner readily understood.

While herein I have specified my invention as being applied to cue racks, I wish it understood that the same is applicable to racks or floor stands for billiard cues, as

Well as brooms, umbrellas, canes, and like goods Without change or modification. Also, the bell cranks 14 may be pivoted directly in the grooves 3 as indicated in Fig. 2, in which case a fiat blade spring 17 is fixed to the bottom of groove 3 said spring engaging the lowest point of said crank as easily understood, this latter taking the place of pin 19.

It is now to be understood that I may make such changes and alterations in the details of construction of this device as may suggest themselves to one skilled in the art and permitted under the doctrine of mechanical equivalents.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure to myself by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A cue-retaining device comprising a rail member, having a notch therein, there being a depression in one face of said notch, a metallic, box-like structure having outfiowing side-Walls located in said depression, there being means on said box-like structure constructed to lock the same in said depression, a bell-crank lever plvoted in the side-walls of said box-like structure, a

' projection on said leveradjacent its pivot,

and a spring, secured in said box-like structure and constructed to act upon said projection, said spring having a hump ad acent V to said projection constructed to retain said bell-crank lever in open or closed position.

2. A retaining device including a rail member having a notch therein, there being a depressionin one face of said notch, a

sheet metallic boxlike structure having out I flaring side Walls located in said depression and locked therein by said side Walls, a bell cranked lever freely pivoted in said structure and adapted for oscillation under slight pressure in either direction into said notch, a projection on said leverbeyond its,

pivotal point, and spring actuated means in said structure constructed to retain said bellcrank lever in open or closed position.

3 A retainer adapted'for insertion into a depression in a notch in a rail member, compr1s1ng a sheet metalllc structure possessed of a base and parallel, perpendicular, side Walls, there being auxiliary outflaring side Walls at one end of said base to frictionally' maintain said structure within said depression,- an oscillatable bell-cranked lever freely pivoted between said parallel side" walls, one arm of said bell-crank lever being normally projecting from said walls and the other of said arms being located bemy hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. V

FRANK O. HOBBS. In the presence of a J. O. MATTESON, J. O. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G."

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 

